Edifier S3000 Pro review: premium speakers for those fleeing cables

Fulfill the dream of enjoying high quality sound without the need for (many) cables. This is the promise that the guys at Edifier make us with speakers that are, in their own right, the flagship of the Asian brand: S3000 Pro.

Designed for the user who wants to improve their home theater experience, but also with a view to the aspirational audiophile market, the Edifier S3000 Pro offer high-end features, maintaining a value for money that is difficult to find in other manufacturers. which has made the Asian brand one of the most popular in marketplaces such as Amazon or online stores such as ZocoCity, which has kindly provided us with a test unit.

Composed of two boxes of 5.6 kg. of weight, Edifier presents a classic design, in which for its construction, high resonance MDF wood (21 mm thick) and high quality plastics have been chosen. Its lower part offers a thick plate that provides good support for the speaker and with which it aspires to avoid the dreaded resonances.

Kleernet or how to listen to a CD wirelessly

But we talked before about promises, or in this case, how Edifier helps us get rid of the most cumbersome cable we have to deal with when we want to install a new pair of amplified speakers (this does not happen when our speakers are passive) in our house. : the fact that join both speakers. To do this, it relies on Kleernet, a proprietary wireless audio transmission technology that has several advantages over Bluetooth.

Thanks to it, both speakers are paired automatically (all we have to do is connect each unit to a different socket and press the “Pair” button), being able to transmit audio without loss at a maximum distance of 22 meters. . But we said that Kleernet had several advantages over the better known Bluetooth. The main ones are its practically non-existent latency and the absence of interference. For this, Kleernet develops wireless audio transmission in 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz bands. Especially in the highest (2.4 GHz is intended for use over long distances), competition with other wireless signals such as be networks WiFi, Bluetooth, FM, etc. It is practically non-existent, which ensures a completely clean signal.

To this must be added that thanks to Kleernet we can wirelessly transmit audio up to 16-bit and 44.1 kHz or what is the same: CD quality. This may perhaps “put back” fans of higher quality digital music like the one we find on platforms like Qobuz or Tidal, but even in these cases, not having to “wire” a room we think pays off. That said, the fact that Edifier would have allowed us to offer that option as a connector that we can use if we are interested, would have been an interesting option.

Finally, another advantage that is worth noting is that Kleernet allows the transmission of music in up to four devices simultaneously, so we can pair these speakers with others located in the same room or create a multi-room space with ease. As it is also a standard, we can combine these Edifiers with devices from other brands that make it up, such as Sennheiser, AKG, RCA, Focal, Sleek Audio … etc.

Audio quality

In addition to the success of betting on Kleernet, the S3000 PRO carry a lot of quality inside. It starts with a PCM 5242 DAC that supports 24-bit / 192Hz input sampling rate with a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 114dB. Although it does not reach the 32 bits that we saw when we talked about the Fiio K9 Pro nor does it have MQA support, it is certainly more than enough to cover the needs of 90% of users, who by having these speakers hardly and except in very specific cases , they should choose to add an external DAC to their setup.

Sound control is done through a processor XMOS multi-core xCore one of the most reputed brands in the field of audio controllers, while for the sound processing the TLV320AIC3268 chip has been chosen, arranged to control the dynamic range, which suppresses the clipping of peaks of the excessive input signals, avoids distortions and effectively protects the speakers from potential damage.

The sound in both cabinets is divided between the 120W of the 6.5-inch woofer with aluminum alloy coating that provides a good response in the mid and low tones, while the 8W of the flat ribbon tweeter provides well-defined highs.

All this translates into a high-quality sound experience and if we must put a little “but”, it is true that they show a certain lack of dynamism that leads them to generate a slight resonance at very specific moments. With that and with everything, taking into account that we are working with speakers whose price does not exceed 700 euros, we can only applaud the good work of the brand that has surprised us by that non-existent latency even when we transmit audio via Bluetooth.

Connectivity and control that was not up to scratch

Also and as Edifier has been doing in almost all its speakers, they offer very wide connectivity options. In this case we have a digital USB input, coaxial, fiber optic input and two RCA analog inputs, which ensures that we can connect practically any audio transmission device on the market. To this must be added its Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity that includes aptX and aptX HD audio decoding.

Along with the connectivity options, in the back we find three selectors with which we can control both volume, bass control and gain control. I have never fully understood why Edifier places these controls in such an inaccessible part of its speakers (unless we place them on a base), when it would be more intuitive to have them well on the side, well on top … but it is probably a design decision.

The set is completed with a control with which we can control the different input sources, the volume of the speakers and some equalization options. It is the weakest part of the other hand more than remarkable team. Compared to the premium feel conveyed by the speakers, the knob made of lightweight plastic offers a poor feel, with keys that are fragile to the touch … perhaps its main flaw being the fact that at no time is it indicated which input source is selected. It is as if in some way, attention had not been paid to this element in the same way that it has been done with everything else.

Conclusions.

The Edifier S3000Pro are a clear example of the brand’s philosophy: high quality at affordable prices. And in this sense, both for an impeccable exterior design, and for a sound quality to which few buts can be put in this price range, they are a highly recommended purchase.

The use of such interesting technologies as Kleernet and even the great performance they offer over Bluetooth, as well as their vast connectivity options, are other arguments that tip the balance in their favor. On the other hand, those details that many Asian companies seem to have never finished polishing play against, such as offering a corresponding remote control, not offering a wired option to be able to connect both speakers if we wish, or including physical controls in a space. not very accessible.

That said, the small setbacks that we find in these Edifiers, do not subtract points from a remarkable set and which of course you are going to enjoy to the fullest without having to invest too much money.